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Climate Change
Pre-IB SS 10
Mr. Kramar
 Activity: What does climate change mean to you?
What is your definition of it? Write down your
understanding of the issue and what you feel can be
done about it. Think/Pair/Share.
Questions:

What is climate change?

What is global warming?

What causes it?

What does global warming look like?

What can we do about it?

Why might some people deny that it is happening?

Where is global warming most evident and why?

Why do we need to pay attention to it?

What are the main contributors?
 When did it become an issue?
 Who is responsible?
 What is being done?
 How does it affect us?
 What are the alternatives to fossil fuels?
What is Climate Change?
 A long-term shift in weather patterns
 Human activity is directly related to climate change
 We can do something about it!
 Global warming is one of the most important effects
of climate change and is also an extremely urgent
issue to deal with.

Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been increasing the
amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by burning fossil
fuels. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at its highest level in
nearly 700,000 years. Over the past 200 years, this human
alteration of the atmosphere has increased the greenhouse effect,
Global Warming and more extreme weather events.

Global Warming: The main reason for climate change. Global
warming is the observed and projected increases in the average
temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans. Glaciers melting,
sea levels rising, coral reefs dying, loss of farmland, shoreline
erosion, severe droughts, birds nesting earlier, rivers run dry,
acidic oceans, more forest fires, permafrost thawing, starving
polar bears, demise of Amazonia, species extinction, stronger
and more frequent storms, pine beetle forest damage, Asian
monsoons worsen, increased zone of human disease, tropical
islands disappearing.
What is the Greenhouse
Effect?
 Warming of the earth’s atmosphere as outgoing
radiation is absorbed by carbon dioxide and water
vapour. Burning of fossil fuel has accelerated this.
Sun
Greenhouse Effect
Earth’s Atmospheric Gases
Nitrogen (N2)
Oxygen (O2)
NonGreenhouse
Gases
99%
Water (H2O)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Methane (CH4)
Greenhouse
Gases
1%
The Greenhouse Effect:
Effects of Global
Warming
 Warming of lakes and rivers: Increasing temperatures
threaten the sockeye salmon run. Less snow pack
reduces the natural cooling effect throughout the
summer months. A 20C rise in temperature can be
lethal to salmon stocks as seen by the massive die-off
this past summer.

Plant and animal migration: As carbon dioxide
increases the temperature in a region, plants that
previously could not live in this area now begin to
grow. Animals that eat those plants begin to appear. So
do carnivores that like to eat herbivores! As permafrost
retreats north, swampy areas appear and so do insects.
 Deforestation: plays a key role in global warming.
Trees remove large quantities of CO2 from the air.
When forests are burned to clear land, the carbon
stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere as
CO2.
 Acidic oceans: Oceans absorb about 50% of the CO2
that is released into the atmosphere causing oceans to
become acidic. If the amount of greenhouse gas
released by burning fossil fuels isn’t reduced, oceans
will become toxic to the animals that live there.
 Thawing permafrost: buildings and roads are
beginning to lose the support under their foundations.
Oil pipelines are at risk of rupturing because of the
unstable ground below. An oil spill in the arctic can be
catastrophic to the sensitive environment. The melting
permafrost covers millions of square miles of
vegetation and prevents it from rotting. When
exposed, the vegetation that has been covered for
thousands of years will begin to rot and release
methane gas, the most potent of greenhouse gasses.
 Higher sea levels: An estimated 97% of the world’s
fresh water is held in glaciers and polar ice caps. The
ice is melting! Low-lying wetlands and marshes are
disappearing. Low-lying countries like Tuvalu,
Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands are also
disappearing because of rising sea levels. Sea levels are
predicted to rise over 1 meter!
 Desertification: Interior regions such as the Great
Plains and Prairies could become deserts. Rising
temperatures will cause grasses to die, leaving the
regions vulnerable to wind and water erosion. With
higher than normal evaporation rates, inadequate
moisture could lead to the formation of deserts. (Sovio
130)
 More lightning, more wildfires: Increasing
temperatures increase the potential for severe storms.
This past summer, British Columbia experienced one
of the worst wildfire seasons ever! Many of the fires
were started by lightning strikes during extreme
drought conditions.
 Stronger winds, bigger wildfires: Each year, strong
winds spread wildfires across the state of California
causing millions of dollars in damage. Prolonged
periods of hot, dry conditions provide a limitless
amount of fuel for these fires.
 Harmful insects survive the winter: With warmer
than normal winters, forests are in danger due to the
burrowing mountain pine beetle. These beetles burrow
under the bark of the tree and lay eggs, causing the
tree to become weaker and weaker until it dies. Trees
become reddish-brown in colour when they die. In
order for these beetles to die, they must be subjected to
several weeks of -30C weather. This does not happen
as often as in the past, leading to large-scale
destruction of our forests.
 Loss of polar bear habitat: Polar bears depend on sea
ice to hunt seals for survival. They are good
swimmers, but cannot catch seals in the water. They
are dependent on ice floes for their survival. Without
the proper conditions for hunting, they face starvation
and ultimately death. The amount of time that oceans
are covered with ice has drastically reduced over
recent years.
Homework:
 Identify and describe two industries in Canada that are
responsible for high levels of GHG emissions.
 Identify two alternatives to burning fossil fuels for
energy in Canada. Provide a brief description of these
alternatives and an example of where they are
currently being used.
 *Be prepared to discuss your answers next class*
Homework:
 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/w
orld/The-Marshall-Islands-AreDisappearing.html?_r=0
 Kiribati sinking article:
 http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-
25086963
 Article and questions on the death of Arctic Murres.
Sources:
 http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-
change/science/climate-change-basics/climatechange-101-1/
 http://climateactionnetwork.ca/issues/what-is-
climate-change/
 http://s760.photobucket.com/user/pwintern/media/
GreenhouseEffect.png.html
 Desertification photo: Kevin Pluck via Flickr
 (Sovio 105)